Shreveport’s recent pay increase for solid waste operator collectors is drawing more job applicants, but City Council members questioned Tuesday whether the new $21.78 hourly rate will be enough to solve staffing problems that have contributed to delayed trash and bulk-waste collection across the city.
The issue surfaced during a lengthy Sept. 8 discussion of Ordinance 80, a budget amendment to the city’s Solid Waste Enterprise Fund. What began as a discussion about adjusting personnel and fuel expenditures turned into a broader debate over wages, recruitment and the city’s ability to provide consistent garbage collection.
City officials explained that the original ordinance had been prepared before the operator collector pay increase took effect. The initial plan would have shifted $300,000 from personnel costs to fuel, but approximately $100,000 of that money was needed to cover the higher wages for the remainder of the year.
Solid Waste Director Jarvis Morgan told the council the higher wage has already generated interest from potential employees.
“We’ve been getting a lot of applications,” Morgan said. “Since we announced it, we’ve been actually interviewing a lot of people that’s interested in the job.”
Morgan said increasing wages further creates another problem for the department: pay compression, in which drivers could begin earning more than employees who supervise them. City officials said the $21.78 rate was set in part to avoid disrupting the department’s broader pay structure while the administration works on compensation issues.
Several council members, however, questioned whether the new wage will be competitive enough to recruit and retain the CDL drivers needed to restore reliable service.
Council members pointed to continuing collection problems, including trash and bulk waste remaining on streets in some districts.
Councilman Scott Boucher said his regular collection day is Tuesday, but his trash has routinely not been picked up until Thursday afternoon.
“My trash is being affected,” Boucher said. “Mine is supposed to come on Tuesday. It’s usually being picked up Thursday afternoons. So, I mean, it’s all over my neighborhood.”
Other council members described similar complaints from constituents, including trash and bulk waste remaining on streets, and pressed Morgan on whether the new wage would provide enough drivers to cover collection routes consistently.
The discussion also returned to previous budget deliberations, when Morgan had been asked what wage would make the positions more competitive. Council members recalled a range of approximately $23 to $25 per hour, with some saying they believed $25 had become the target.
Council members also emphasized the physical demands of the work, particularly during extreme summer heat, and argued that compensation should reflect both those conditions and competition for workers with commercial driver’s licenses.
At one point, the discussion broadened to the city’s overall compensation strategy. Council members referenced proposed pay increases for police and firefighters and anticipated additional tax revenue associated with data center development, arguing that employees in other city departments will also be watching how Shreveport addresses compensation.
One council member referenced expectations of an additional $20 million in tax revenue during the discussion. The figure was raised during council debate and was not independently substantiated during the meeting.
Despite the disagreement over whether $21.78 is sufficient, city officials clarified that the recently implemented raise was not dependent upon passage of Ordinance 80 and would remain in effect regardless of the council’s action.
“The raise is there. It’s already been given,” a city administration official told the council.
Councilman Alan Jackson expressed concern about creating the impression that the newly announced pay increase might disappear, potentially hurting the department’s current recruitment efforts.
“I just want to make sure that the media narrative is that the money is not going away indefinitely, but we are looking to possibly increase it at some near future so it does not affect your recruitment and hiring,” Jackson said.
City officials clarified that postponing or changing the budget amendment would not undo the raise, which had already taken effect.
The council also wrestled with whether the unresolved personnel issue should delay equipment needed to improve solid waste collection.
The ordinance included approximately $200,000 for a knuckle boom used in bulk-waste collection. City officials said funding could be identified through differences between estimated landfill contractor expenses and revenues while also attempting to cover additional fuel needs.
Boucher argued that the personnel and equipment questions should be separated rather than packaged together.
“I don’t like combining the two of those together because we’re dealing with personnel and we’re dealing with equipment,” Boucher said.
After continuing with other agenda items and taking a recess, the council returned to Ordinance 80.
Members unanimously agreed to reconsider the measure and adopted a substitute amendment that removed all references to personnel services while retaining funding for the remaining items in the ordinance.
The council then approved Ordinance 80 as amended, allowing the city to move forward with equipment and other solid waste expenditures without resolving the larger debate over whether the $21.78 hourly wage is sufficient.
The discussion left open the possibility that council members could revisit compensation for CDL drivers and other solid waste employees as the city evaluates whether its recent pay increase produces enough new hires to improve collection service.